Ready for take-off?
#Week28 saw the latest chapter in the saga that is Gatwick Airport’s attempt to open a second runway, with the news that it has applied for planning permission to increase its passenger numbers to 75 million a year. Under the proposals, Gatwick’s existing ‘standby’ runway would be converted to everyday use (after being moved 12 metres to the north) as part of a £2.2 billion upgrade programme.
We have, of course, been here before. Countless applications, protests, inquiries and white papers have attempted to tackle the problem of airport capacity, but no actual spades have made it into the ground. Environmental concerns combined with local opposition have proven to be an effective block on new runway development.
Paperclip doesn’t pretend to have the answer to this particular conundrum – it is a complex situation with many aspects to consider – but nevertheless it points to a wider issue around the UK’s inertia when it comes to infrastructure. To put it simply, have we forgotten how to build?
Everywhere you look there are potentially transformative projects that have become mired in bureaucracy, nimbyism and politicking to the point of standstill. HS2 has been argued over and downgraded so that it is hugely expensive while not achieving all that much. Councils seemingly compete to see which can approve the lowest volume of new housing development. Our regional cities lag a long way behind their international rivals on public transport infrastructure. Nuclear power is another problem area: the UK is struggling to build just one new reactor at Hinkley Point, while the French parliament has recently overwhelmingly voted in favour of creating six new facilities.
There are, undoubtedly, good arguments against all such projects. Money, or specifically the lack of it, is clearly an issue. Environmental concerns rightly need to be considered. Some locations are genuinely unsuitable for development. But too often, the positive side of the argument isn’t being made – and the UK is missing out as a result.
HS2 as it was originally conceived – nationwide, and more about capacity than speed – would be genuinely game-changing. Those that object to new housing are often the same people complaining about stagnating high streets and smaller schools closing from lack of pupils; the case is never made for new homes bringing vitality and renewed vigour to towns and villages. Proper metropolitan transport networks could unlock the potential of places such as Leeds, the largest city in Western Europe without a mass transit system. There has been much talk in recent time of the UK’s ‘productivity problem’; the lack of modern infrastructure is surely one of the causes.
For too long, the planning system has been used to stop new infrastructure at the expense of those that would stand to benefit, and to a certain extent that is understandable. If you own your house outright, a new estate next door is of little benefit to you. Similarly, a new high-speed train or metro system looks like a waste of money if you’re retired. Politicians have prevaricated precisely because this constituency of people holds so much sway, and much of the UK’s infrastructure has been left wanting as a result.
But there are hints a turning point has been reached. These schemes are now so desperately required that the number of people benefitting from them would outweigh the objectors. Politicians that can harness this need will reap rewards, and Labour’s commitment to housebuilding will be a key pillar of its election campaign. The property industry is thinking about these things too, such as this week’s joint report on brownfield regeneration and planning reform from Mark Allen of Landsec and Simon Carter of British Land.
The pivot, when it comes, could be swift. And maybe, just maybe, there will be a second runway at Gatwick after all.